Means for mounting a fitting at a support

ABSTRACT

To facilitate the mounting of a fitting, such as a hinge, at a support, which in the case of a hinge may be a door and a doorframe, respectively, the fitting is provided with at least one cylindrical dowel integral with the body of the fitting and extending perpendicularly therefrom to be introduced into a suitable bore in the support. The end of each dowel is slotted and a wedge shaped member is attached to the end of the dowel, preferably made integral therewith, in an aligned position with respect to the slot. The attachment between wedge and dowel is a light bond, which will rupture when the wedge is subjucted to pressure, for instance when the head of the wedge reaches the bore, into which the dowel is introduced. The present hinge may furthermore be designed in such a manner that one U-shaped portion thereof in closed position will enclose the other portions, with both portions having interengaging members to form a snap-lock retaining the door or other element to which the hinge is fitted in closed position.

limited States Patent Tuvert [54] MEANS FOR MOUNTING A FITTING AT A SUPPORT [72] Inventor: Allan Johan Elmer Tuvert, Prastgardsgatan 12,, Goteborg, Sweden [22] Filed: March 16, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 19,786

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data March 17, 1969 Sweden ..3615/69 [52] US. Cl ..16/159, 16/128 [51] Int. Cl. ..E05d 5/02 [58] Field of Search ..16/158,159,135, DIG. 13

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,856,629 10/1958 Vose ..16/135 3,197,806 8/1965 Ennis ..16/159 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 204,507 9/1965 Sweden ..16/159 257,407 1/1967 Austria ..16/159 634,392 9/1962 Canada ..16/DIG. 13 155,634 8/1956 Belgium ..16/159 956,348 1/1950 France ..16/159 1,180,459 6/1959 France ..16/159 339,290 12/1919 Germany ..16/159 310,764 1/1956 Switzerland ..16/159 422,570 4/1967 Switzerland ..16/159 Aug. 29, 1972 OTHER PUBLICATIONS 481,297, December, 1969,

Fassler-Napflin.

Switzerland,

[57 ABSTRACT To facilitate the mounting of a fitting, such as a hinge, at a support, which in the case of a hinge may be a door and a doorframe, respectively, the fitting is provided with at least one cylindrical dowel integral with the body of the fitting and extending perpendicularly therefrom to be introduced into a suitable bore in the support. The end of each dowel is slotted and a wedge shaped member is attached to the end of the dowel, preferably made integral therewith, in an aligned position with respect to the slot. The attachment between wedge and dowel is a light bond, which will rupture when the wedge is subjucted to pressure, for instance when the head of the wedge reaches the bore, into which the dowel is introduced.

The present hinge may furthermore be designed in such a manner that one U-shaped portion thereof in closed position will enclose the other portions, with both portions having interengaging members to form a snap-lock retaining the door or other element to which the hinge is fitted in closed position.

1 Claim, 10 Drawing Figures MEANS FOR MOUNTING A FITTING AT A SUPPORT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to means for mounting a fitting, preferably a hinge, at a support. The aim object of the invention is to provide a fitting having at least one expandible dowel, which is simpler to mount than fittings of hitherto known type fixed by means of screws, and which can be directly attached to supports of brittle material, such as fiberboard or light concrete, with which it hitherto has not been possible to attach a fitting without plugs or filler material being introduced into bores in the support. With furniture hinges, the invention makes possible a design, in which the halves of the hinge will fit into each other in such a manner that it will not be necessary to make any recesses in the wall or the door in order to accommodate the hinge. This eliminates a number of time-consuming steps during the mounting operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A fitting according to the invention is provided with at least one substantially cylindrical dowel integral with the fitting and extending perpendicularly from the face thereof intended to be turned towards the support, with the at least one dowel having an axially slotted end portion and being designed to be pushed into a bore of substantially the same diameter as the dowel, a wedge shaped member being attached to the, or each dowel in an aligned position with respect to the axial slot by a light bond, which will rupture when the end of the wedge remote from the dowel is subjected to pressure upon the dowel approaching its mounted position within the bore in the support.

The dowel is made integral with the fitting, or each body of the hinge, respectively, which is preferably formed from synthetic resin. As such material has less strength than the metal hitherto used in hinges, special care must be taken in the design of the hinge. A further possibility is to provide the hinge with locking members which will make the usual snap-locks at the edge of the door remote from the hinged edge superfluous.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of the invention as used with a hinge, with the components thereof turned 180 in relation to each other,

FIG. 2 shows is a plan in view of the hinge of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a view showing one-half of the hinge as mounted in a support,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the mounted hinge of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is an exploded view illustrating some ways' of utilizing fittings according to the invention,

FIG. 6 is a view taken along line VI VI of FIG. 8, the view looking in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 7 is a view showing the hinge according to FIG. 6 in a swung-out position,

FIG. 8 is a view in elevation of the hinge according to FIG. 6 in mounted position,

FIG. 9 is a view showing two hinges of modified form in aligned position, and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an unmounted hinge according to FIG. 9 in an open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIGS. 1 to 4 show the invention as utilized with a simple hinge I designed for doors for cupboards or the like. The hinge is composed of two bodies 2, to each of which three dowels 3 are fitted perpendicularly to the face of the body adapted to be turned towards the support in which the hinge is to be mounted. Each dowel is designed as a peg having a substantially circular crosssection, and in end portion 4 thereof remote from the body 2 is provided an axially extending slot 8. This slot is adapted to cooperate with a wedge shaped member 5 which, when forced into the slot, will expand the sidewalls of the dowel 3 in such a manner that the latter will be forced against the wall of a bore 7 formed in the support 6.

The hinge 1 is preferably made of a synthetic resin, reinforced by glass fibers, and each body together with the pertaining dowels 3 are made integral. Preferably also each wedge 5 is made integral with the conical end face of the dowel. The edge of the wedge 5 is introduced into the mouth of the slot 8, and the wedge extends axially away from the dowel. The connection or bond between the wedge 5 and the dowel 3 is designed in such a manner that it will easily rupture when the wedge is subjected to pressure in a direction towards the dowel. The bond shall, however, be sufficiently strong to retain the wedge in position during transport and mounting of the fitting at the support. The bore shall have a length which is somewhat less than the combined length of the dowel 3 and the wedge 5. The portion 4 of the dowel 3 is provided with a number of rills 9, hooks or other members adapted to be forced into the wall of the bore in order securely to retain the dowel within the bore.

When the hinge is to be fitted at a support, for instance, in a door or doorframe the dowels 3 are introduced into bores 7 in the door or in the frame, respectively, with the bores having substantially the same diameter as the dowels. When the wedge 5 reaches the bottom of the bore it will be pushed into the slot 8 of the dowel 3 to expand the latter radially.

End 10 remote from the slotted end is formed as a truncated cone, the diameter of which increases away from the slotted. This conical end portion will be sunk into the mouth of the bore 7 and will then prevent the dowel from being pushed too far into the bore 7.

FIG. 5 shows a manner of utilizing two types of fitting for three different purposes.

First, there is a hinge 2, as described in connection with FIGS. 1 4, which is to be fitted to one edge of a board B. This board is to be connected to board A to form part of a cupboard or a case. The hinge is to be fitted close to the transverse edge of the board B, and there is a risk that this board will crack when the dowels of the hinge are expanded in the bores 7 of the board. To prevent this risk, a fitting 13a is introduced in the board with its dowels 3 at right angles to the dowels of the hinge. The bores 7" adapted ,to receive the dowels of fitting 13a are arranged between the bores 7, and between the topmost of the bores and the transverse edge of the board B, respectively. The fitting 13a is mounted before the hinge is introduced and it will securely bind the portions of the board together. The length of the dowels will have to correspond to the thickness of the board and the wedges 5 therefore have to be hammered into the respective slots from inside the cupboard or case.

A fitting 13b adapted to interconnect the boards A and B is similar to the fitting 13a, although the dowels are longer. The ends of the dowels expand conically away from the slotted portion, whereby the board B is securely locked to the board A when the fitting is brought into position.

The mutual distance between the dowels and the diameter of the latter are identical in all types of fittings. The bores 7 7" and 7" can thus be drilled using the same template, which ensures that any type of fitting may be fitted anywhere.

The end 10 may have a substantially oval cross section, with the short axis of the oval having about the same length as the diameter of the cylindrical slotted portion 4 and being located parallel to the plane of the slot. This arrangement is made to limit the forces caused by the expansion of the dowels to a single plane when the ends are forced into the material.

When a fitting is provided with two or more dowels, the latter are preferably arranged in a straight row in order to facillitate the drilling of the bores. To minimize the risk of the forces caused by expansion of the dowels damaging the support, the planes of the slots 8 are parallel and arranged perpendicularly to the plane of the row.

ln fittings 13a and 13b the body is designed as a .bridge member, which is connected to each dowel by means of an easily ruptured connection. The bridge member thus serves to connect the dowels and keep them in proper position during transport and mounting only. When this operation has been performed, the bridge member is broken off.

The hinge according to FIGS. 6 to 8 is composed of two bodies 1 and 1a, of which the first mentioned body is adapted to be mounted on a door 6 or the like, whereas the second body 1a is designed to be fitted to a stationary support 60, for instance, the wall of a cupboard.

The body 1 is U-shaped and consists of two parallel legs 14 and an intermediate portion interconnecting the legs. Two or more dowels 3 are fitted to each body at the face thereof to be turned towards the structure 6 and 6a, respectively. Each leg 14 is formed with an ear providing a support for a hinge pin 17. The second body 1a is designed to move within the space defined by the legs 14 and comprises a portion 19 in which the hinge-pin 17 is fitted.

At the internal surface of each leg of the body 1, and in the end remote from the ears 14, a recess 20 is formed, which is adapted to cooperate with a correspondingly shaped abutment 21 at the face of the body 10 turned towards the leg. The legs 14 are elastically deformable in such a manner that the abutments 21 may be introduced into the recesses 20 when the two bodies of the hinge are folded to closed position, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. Due to this arrangement, it will not be necessary to utilize any snap-lock at the edge of the door remote from the hinges.

In order to avoid the dowels being subjected to lateral forces and to prevent turning of one hinge body which corresponds to the external dimensions of the body.

In FIG. 9 two hinges according to the invention but of slightly different types, are interconnected by means of a common hinge-pin 17. This arrangement is suited for heavier supports. The hinges will, during the mounting, be fitted to the support by means of a template. The dowels 3 are preferably located in such a manner in the body that the distance 20 between the longitudinal axes of adjacent dowels is twice as large as the distance a between the axis of the outermost dowel and the external surface of the leg 14 of the U-shaped body 1. If two or more hinges are mounted in a row adjacent to each other, the distance between the two dowels at the edges of the two hinges will be located at the same mutual distance as the dowels within the individual hinges. Thus, the fitting is highly facilitated.

As is shown in FIG. 9 the snap-lock at the lower hinge is somewhat modified as compared to the upper hinge. The legs 14 of the U-shaped body 1 is each, on its internal face, provided with a ridge 22, which corresponds to the abutment 21, whereas the other hinge portion 1a is provided with a correspondingly shaped recess 23.

FIG. 10 shows the upper hinge of FIG. 9 in an open position in which the recess and abutment 2,0 and 21 respectively are easily observed.

What we claim is:

1. A hinge for attachment to a porous structure such as plasterboard, chipboard, and the like, comprising two halves each of which is defined as a body, the first body being U-shaped and having two parallel elastically deformable legs providing a support for a hinge pin common to both bodies, the first body being adapted to be mounted entirely counter-sunk in its structure, the second body being defined to fit between the legs and in one of its end positions being located inside the outer contour of the U-shaped body, both bodies at their surfaces turned to the structures at which they are to be attached being provided with at least two integral substantially cylindrical dowels arranged in a row, said dowels projecting perpendicularly from the surfaces and each being intended to enter one bore in the structure, the bores having substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the dowels, dowel having an axial slot extending from the free end thereof towards the body and an unslotted end portion for connection to the body, the axial slots in the dowels being located in parallel planes arranged perpendicularly to the plane of the row in which said dowels are arranged and said unslotted end portions of the dowels having an oval cross section, the short axis of which is substantially parallel to the plane of the axial slot, a wedge shaped member securely attached to the mouth of each axial slot, the attachment between the wedge shaped member and the dowel being rupturable when the dowel is forced into the bore and the free end of the wedge shaped member engages the bottom of the bore so that the member forces the axial slot of the dowel to expand, said bodies together with their dowels being in one piece of plastic material, at least one of the legs at its inner sides turned to each other being provided with one recess or projection each for cooperation with a complemental recess or projection at the end sides of the second body turned in relation to the other, the hinge body is preferably to thelegs' fitted into a recess 24 in the door or the like, the size of 

1. A hinge for attachment to a porous structure such as plasterboard, chipboard, and the like, comprising two halves each of which is defined as a body, the first body being U-shaped and having two parallel elastically deformable legs providing a support for a hinge pin common to both bodies, the first body being adapted to be mounted entirely counter-sunk in its structure, the second body being defined to fit between the legs and in one of its end positions being located inside the outer contour of the U-shaped body, both bodies at their surfaces turned to the structures at which they are to be attached being provided with at least two integral substantially cylindrical dowels arranged in a row, said dowels projecting perpendicularly from the surfaces and each being intended to enter one bore in the structure, the bores having substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the dowels, dowel having an axial slot extending from the free end thereof towards the body and an unslotted end portion for connection to the body, the axial slots in the dowels being located in parallel planes arranged perpendicularly to the plane of the row in which said dowels are arranged and said unslotted end portions of the dowels having an oval cross section, the short axis of which is substantially parallel to the plane of the axial slot, a wedge shaped member securely attached to the mouth of each axial slot, the attachment between the wedge shaped member and the dowel being rupturable when the dowel is forced into the bore and the free end of the wedge shaped member engages the bottom of the bore so that the member forces the axial slot of the dowel to expand, said bodies together with their dowels being in one piece of plastic material, at least one of the legs at its inner sides turned to each other being provided with one recess or projection each for cooperation with a complemental recess or projection at the end sides of the second body turned to the legs. 